Starry nights and empty streets in Syria's Idlib

Damaged buildings stand in the rebel-controlled area of Maaret al-Numan in Idlib province, Syria September 6, 2016. REUTERS/Ammar Abdullah

Damaged buildings stand in the rebel-controlled area of Maaret al-Numan in Idlib province, Syria September 6, 2016. REUTERS/Ammar Abdullah

A vehicle drives past a mosque at night in Idlib, Syria October 30, 2016. Picture taken with a long exposure. REUTERS/Ammar Abdullah

Damaged buildings stand in the rebel-controlled town of Binnish in Idlib province, Syria September 7, 2016. REUTERS/Ammar Abdullah

The night sky is seen through damaged windows in the rebel-controlled town of Binnish in Idlib province, Syria September 7, 2016. REUTERS/Ammar Abdullah

A digger stands amid the rubble in the rebel-controlled area of Maaret al-Numan in Idlib province, Syria September 6, 2016. REUTERS/Ammar Abdullah

A mosque stands in the city of Idlib, Syria October 30, 2016. REUTERS/Ammar Abdullah

A damaged building stands in the rebel-controlled town of Binnish in Idlib province, Syria September 7, 2016. REUTERS/Ammar Abdullah

A ferris wheel stands in the rebel-controlled area of Maaret al-Numan town in Idlib province, Syria September 6, 2016. REUTERS/Ammar Abdullah

A mosque stands in the rebel-controlled area of Maaret al-Numan town in Idlib province, Syria September 6, 2016. REUTERS/Ammar Abdullah

Damaged buildings stand in the rebel-controlled area of Maaret al-Numan in Idlib province, Syria September 6, 2016. REUTERS/Ammar Abdullah

Up Next

See Gallery

Discover More Like This

HIDE CAPTION

SHOW CAPTION

of

SEE ALL

BACK TO SLIDE

IDLIB, Syria, Dec 23 (Reuters) - Stars fill the night sky over the Syrian rebel-held city of Idlib, and the streets are eerily quiet. The calm might not last much longer.

Now that Syrian government forces have recaptured Aleppo in a crushing offensive, they are likely to turn their attentions to Idlib. Thousands of refugees from Aleppo have been evacuated there, and U.N. Special Envoy Staffan de Mistura has warned the city could face the same fate as Aleppo.

Idlib used to bustle with people before the Syrian war began in 2011, but now few residents venture outside their homes at night.

Sometimes aircraft can be heard overhead. Syrian and Russian warplanes and helicopters have carried out strikes for months against rebels in Idlib province, which lies southwest of Aleppo.

Resident Abdullah Haj Asaad, 29, says he no longer sends clothes from his sewing shop to the markets at night.

"Nowadays, we can only send the finished goods in the morning. Cars stop driving at night because of thieves and bandits, fearing looting and theft," he said.

"I used to go out with my friends to cafes at night and stay up until dawn, we never used to check our watches."

But now "we hang out at a different friend's house every weekend and sleep over until morning," he added.

"In case of emergencies we can get out at night, but that's still very risky."